WWF: Raw is War
July 6, 1998
State College, PA
Bryce Jordan Center

The current WWF champs are as follows:
WWF Champion: Steve Austin (6/29/1998)
Intercontinental Champion: The Rock (12/8/1997)
World Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws (3/30/1998)
European Champion: Triple H (3/17/1998)
Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (12/7/1997)

TIME TO GET RAW! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

So after RAW ended last week, obviously the Undertaker is super pissed. He comes out to the ring wanting Stone Cold Steve Austin and the WWF title – TONIGHT. We immediately go to the TitanTron to see Michael Cole peeping through doors trying to find Austin backstage for an answer. When Cole finds him, Austin walks right past him without an answer and heads to the ring because Austin is just that kind of man. Before Austin can say anything, Mr. McMahon appears and reminds them both that he in fact runs the WWF and decides who gets WWF title shots. McMahon wants to see them tear each other apart at the next PPV entitled Fully Loaded, but they won’t be facing each other. They will face the monsters Kane and Mankind in a tag team match. McMahon also announces that a new #1 contender to Austin’s WWF title will be named tonight. And before he goes, McMahon reminds Austin how he feels about him being the WWF champion with his middle finger. Leaving the Undertaker behind, Austin chases after McMahon to end the segment.

• Brawl For All: Brakkus vs. Savio Vega
  

After seeing hype videos for him since July of 1997, Brakkus has finally made it onto RAW. After three one-minute rounds, Savio easily wins busting up his nose to bits with a score of 30-5.

• Ken Shamrock vs. Jeff Jarrett (w/Tennessee Lee)
  

Rematch from the KOTR tourney. Edge is spotted in the crowd. Shamrock controls to start, but Tennessee Lee helps Jarrett reach the ropes after a heel hook. As Shamrock goes after Tennessee Lee, Jarrett comes up from out of nowhere to clothesline him down and run him into the steps. Back in, Jarrett takes over with clotheslines and dropkicks. They trade sleeperholds, but Jarrett delivers a back suplex. Shamrock comes back and hits a back suplex of his own for two. Before he can continue, KING MABEL appears and attacks Shamrock for the DQ. (4:24) Is he mad someone else is king? What’s that about? *

In the back, Michael Cole gives his weak-ass sympathies to Ken Shamrock who wants Mabel tonight if he’s any kind of man.

• Vader vs. Bradshaw
  

Ross informs us that because they have won a #1 contenders match, Kane and Mankind will be facing the New Age Outlaws next week on RAW for their WWF tag titles. It’s a real slobberknocker type deal and continues to be once Kane and Mankind come out to destroy them both in 2:07.

• Disciples of Apocalypse (w/Paul Ellering) vs. The Headbangers
  

Mosh pours what Lawler calls “hot candle wax” on himself for laughs when we comes out the tunnel. Ellering joins Ross and Lawler to reveal that he’s here to write the final chapter on the Legion of Doom. Pretty boring match. Mosh gets the hot candle wax tag. The DOA prevent the Stage Dive and then they give Mosh their double-team slam finish for the win at 3:44. ¾*

SKITTLES SLAM OF THE WEEK: War Zone, 6/29/98. Stone Cold Steve Austin delivering the Stone Cold Stunner to Kane to regain the WWF title.

• Terry Funk vs. D’Lo Brown (w/The Godfather)
  

D’Lo is really getting that chest protector bit over here. He chops away on Terry’s chest, but when the tables turn, Funk decides a punch to the jaw works better than a chop to the chest protector. Funk delivers a PILEDRIVER for two. To the floor they go, Funk gives Brown an Asai Moonsault. Back in the ring, Funk delivers another Flying Moonsault to the back of D’Lo for two as well. Funk punches the Godfather down off the apron, but you don’t put your hands on the Godfather. He wraps up his hand with the Run DMC gold necklace and punches Funk in the back of the head. That KO’s Funk for the LO DOWN as D’Lo picks up the win. (3:49) Not to be upstaged by Kane and Mankind, the Undertaker cleans house on the Nation of Domination boys. Even Funk sticks around to get a chokeslam. Maybe that will impress Mr. McMahon! *½

ENTER THE WARZONE! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Out comes Mr. McMahon to the ring to announce the new #1 contender to the WWF title. He plans on introducing several people before he names the #1 contender. He brings out Mankind, Kane, and the Undertaker one by one. First off, Vince thanks Mankind for everything he has done here in the WWF, but wonders if it’s enough to be the #1 contender. Next, he calls Kane one of the stupidest men he’s ever seen for agreeing to give Steve Austin a rematch for the WWF title the night after he won it, but gives Kane props for putting into writing that he would set himself on fire if he did not win the WWF title at the King of the Ring. Now McMahon turns to the Undertaker. He calls Taker “evil” for nearly taking Mankind’s life in the Hell in a Cell match and for setting his own brother on fire, but McMahon also knows that UT wants to regain the WWF title more than life itself and that impresses him as well. Since McMahon can’t seem to decide, he makes a triple-threat match for tonight. The lights go out as we go to commercial!

• Brawl For All: Road Warrior Hawk vs. Darren Drozdov
  

This ends up being a draw with both guys scoring five points on punches. After the bell, Hawk and Droz embrace and lift each other’s hand.

Marc Mero and Jacqueline head to the ring as Ross says Jackie will “break her silence” here tonight. Naturally, there’s a huge “Sable” chant. Jacqueline takes full responsibility for Mero’s loss last week in the Brawl for All against Steve Blackman because they went 12 rounds the night before because of their two month anniversary. Jackie makes the claim that Sable couldn’t satisfy Mero’s sexual needs. Essentially, Sable wasn’t able. For some reason, Sable comes out to respond. Can you imagine this scenario happening in real life? Somebody claims you suck in bed. And then your theme song plays, you walk out onto a stage, a crowd cheers, and then you provide a counterpoint. Sable claims Marc Mero couldn’t get it up with her. Well yeah, with that voice of hers, it’s enough to make any man go flat. More slut talk ensues until Jackie challenges Sable to a bikini contest. Sable tells Jacqueline “don’t blow it, show it” and says she’ll will drop a bomb on her. She just exudes charisma, amirite? Ugh.

The JVC Kaboom! Box presents the Kaboom! of the Week: King of the Ring, 6/28/98. Undertaker sending Mankind through the Hell in a Cell with a chokeslam. Just brutal.

• Dustin Runnels vs. Val Venis
  

They take us back to last week when Val made a move on Mrs. Yamaguchi-san. It appears she like-a Val’s sausage. Val makes a joke about how he’s scored more times in Beaver Stadium than Joe Paterno. I would make a Jerry Sandusky joke, but I’ll pass. Runnels gets tired of Val trying to stick his dick in his face. Rather ironic, no? Val NO-SELLS the inverted atomic drop and stretches Dustin out with a full nelson using his legs. We get another shot of Edge in the audience. Runnels escapes, but Venis buries the knees in him and delivers a Russian legsweep. As Venis stands over Runnels and gyrates, Yamaguchi-san and his lovely wife put out a hit on Val and his KAIENTAI accepts the offer for the DQ. (2:38) Once Venis is beaten down, Yamaguchi-san tries his best to cut a promo and slaps Venis across the kisser. His wifey doesn’t look too pleased though. TROUBLE IN PARADISE? ¾*

After the break, DX comes out dressed as the Nation of Domination. The cast goes like this: Triple H plays the Rock (with IC taped over his European title), Road Dogg plays D’Lo Brown (or B-Lo), Billy Gunn as the Godfather, X-Pac as Mark Henry (or Mizark), Jason Sensation – wrestling impersonator extraordinaire – as Owen Hart (with a Ric Flair nose), and Chyna as the Beaver. Aside from the poop and dick jokes, this is pretty hilarious. Triple H’s impression of the Rock was great. Owen Hart had some spot-on commentary. Road Dogg pointing out D’Lo as the lackey of the group is pretty funny. X-Pac’s impression got a little racist, but still funny – especially the joke about Mark Henry’s pecs. I think I liked the Four Horsemen parody better, but that’s just me.

• Ken Shamrock vs. Mabel
  

No mic time for Mabel to let us know why he’s done what he did to Shamrock? Okay. Ross tells us there’s no more ad breaks tonight. Mabel beats up Shamrock using his size and reminds us all that he’s the King, which is his motivation for being here tonight. Never seen this happen to a KOTR winner in the past, but we’ve had all heel KOTR winners since Bret Hart in 1993 and he certainly had to contend with a different type of king in the WWF. Mabel slams Shamrock and comes off the middle rope for a clothesline, but Shamrock moves and goes from the arm to the ANKLELOCK for the tapout. (2:09) It takes two more refs and Commissioner Slaughter to pull Shamrock off Mabel. After he’s finished with the anklelock, he continues to punch on Mabel until he’s pound into dust. So much for a comeback, AMIRITE? He must feel the need to summon an evil power to possibly have a career after this match. ½*

• The Undertaker vs. Mankind vs. Kane
  

The winner of this match will be the #1 contender to the WWF title. Mr. McMahon joins JR and King at the announce table, but Stone Cold comes out to grab a headset as well. Paul Bearer awaits in the ring as he’s joined by Mankind and Kane. Sounds like Austin and McMahon have pretty much taken over the show. Taker never shows and McMahon gets into the ring to tell Tony Chimel that the Undertaker is too chicken shit to appear and changes the match into a no holds barred falls count anywhere match between Kane and Mankind. Well, Mankind takes a seat over by the steps and tells McMahon that he’s given enough and won’t give him anymore because he won’t fight his friend Kane. Vince calls for the bell anyway. Eventually, Kane goes out of the ring and grabs a chair. McMahon wants Kane to hit Austin, but instead he turns around and hits Mankind in the head. Good grief. He rolls Mankind into the ring and slowly pins Mankind for the win. (2:16) Whoa! The mask comes off – and it’s the UNDERTAKER! He stares daggers into Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin stands up and stares daggers back at the Undertaker! AWESOME ending to RAW, but there’s no way they were going to win the ratings war tonight. N/R

And with that, we are outta here! Until next time, so long for now!